Kid Tiger revels in play at Harding

Gwen Knapp

Published 4:00 am, Friday, October 7, 2005

With two holes to play at Harding Park on Thursday afternoon, Tiger Woods, the greatest golfer, most recognizable athlete and leading Type-A personality of his generation, became a fan. A smile started forming when he looked back from the 7th green and saw John Daly waiting in the tee box, declining to swing until Woods' threesome had putted out. Woods knew what that meant, and he loved it.

Daly planned to go for the green, 344 yards away, in a single, audacious shot. So Woods and his playing partners stepped to the side of the green and, like the paying customers in the gallery, eagerly watched. When Daly threw all of his Fred Flintstone physique into the swing, Woods' smile grew until he was practically laughing.

Both sights were extraordinary -- Daly's thunderous drive, which rolled to within 18 feet of the cup, and Woods' unrestrained mirth.

"He almost fell on his butt," Woods said later. "He sort of lost his balance, which J.D. never does. ... He's always on perfect balance. You can tell: That one, he let go."

Tiger Woods hits an approach shot from the fairway bunker on the 18th hole at the American Express Championship at Harding Park Golf Course.
Event on 10/6/05 in San Francisco.
Darryl Bush / The Chronicle

Tiger Woods hits an approach shot from the fairway bunker on the 18th hole at the American Express Championship at Harding Park Golf Course.
Event on 10/6/05 in San Francisco.
Darryl Bush / The Chronicle

Photo: Darryl Bush

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AMEXharding_001_db.jpg
Tiger Woods hits from the fairway on the 13th hole during the American Express Championship at Harding Park Golf Course.
Event on 10/6/05 in San Francisco.
Darryl Bush / The Chronicle MANDATORY CREDIT FOR PHOTOG AND SF CHRONICLE/ -MAGS OUT less

AMEXharding_001_db.jpg
Tiger Woods hits from the fairway on the 13th hole during the American Express Championship at Harding Park Golf Course.
Event on 10/6/05 in San Francisco.
Darryl Bush / The Chronicle ... more

Photo: Darryl Bush

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Kid Tiger revels in play at Harding

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And by his standards, Woods let go, too. The first round of the American Express Championship brought out the small piece of him that has pledged golf's fraternity. This tournament, an assembly of the best players from around the world, bears some resemblance to a postseason all-star game. A $1.3 million winner's check mitigates that effect, but with the pressure of the majors out of the way, many of the golfers will view this weekend as a retreat from the PGA grind.

For Woods, the event has become a nostalgia trip, allowing him to reconnect with friends from Stanford days, including his former roommates, and reminisce about youthful visits to Harding. "It's like a home event for me," he said cheerfully after his round, which left him in a tie for second at 3-under-par 67.

He came to this tournament after a rough previous stop at the Presidents Cup, in which he had the bad back of a grown-up and the really bad hair of a teenager. The bleached-out splotches are gone now, but a goatee maintains his informal look. Don't expect to see it at Augusta National.

Now, let's be clear: This was still Tiger Woods, with an almost eerie intensity and a spellbinding effect on the gallery. At the start of his round, the announcer said his name and someone immediately hollered: "First-Aid." A woman near the tee box had fainted.

Woods seemed fairly unfazed. Later, he offered perspective: Years ago, he stepped up to a tee and a fan had a heart attack.

After a delay of a few minutes, Woods drove his first shot at Harding to the right and into a bunker, then smashed the tee with his club. The joie de vivre part of the program hadn't entirely kicked in yet. Some nice par saves, a 15-foot putt here, a 10-footer there, helped.

Many of the fans had not seen Woods in person, even though he has played two U.S. Opens in Northern California and used to play the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

"He looks bigger on TV," one man said to a friend along the ropes.

"I got the nod, Wilma," a woman shouted gleefully after she caught Woods' eye and he politely touched the bill of cap and dipped his head a few inches.

No one else passed out.

But a 3-year-old boy from Fairfield left with a surprise souvenir. As Woods walked off No. 5, he reached down and handed his ball to Matthew Rico, who had come to Harding with father, Noel.

Harding might be the most intimate course the PGA stars will see. The holes are so close together that Woods was able to start peeking at Daly well before the big drive to the green. From the tee at No. 16, Woods watched Daly's approach shot on 15. He had a better view than people in the back row in the typical multiplex.

A traffic jam on the par-3 8th allowed Woods to linger at No. 7 while Daly pulled out his driver. At the time, he and Daly were tied at 4-under. Woods left the green knowing that Daly almost certainly would pass him, and with a birdie, he did. Yet Woods' smile never waned.

A few minutes later, at No. 8, Woods and Daly walked past each other, reaching out to slap hands in a low five. They couldn't have choreographed the scene better. Golf's wild child gets props from its perpetual valedictorian.

"I can't hit it that far, but J.D. can," Woods said. "I used to when I was younger, but now I'm almost 30."